WASHINGTON, D.C. — On Sunday, U.S. Attorney General William Barr released his summary of Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s wide-ranging, two-year probe and the question of whether President Donald Trump’s 2016 campaign colluded with the Russian government.
In his four-page letter to Congress, Barr said, “The Special Counsel’s investigation did not find that the Trump campaign or anyone associated with it conspired or coordinated with Russia in its efforts to influence the 2016 U.S. presidential election.” It also states, “while this report does not conclude that the President committed a crime, it also does not exonerate him.”
Now, as Republicans bask in what they call a victory, Democrats are pressing for the release of Mueller’s entire report.
“No collusion, no collusion, no collusion,” Kansas Republican First District Congressman Roger Marshall said in a speech before the House on Monday. “After two years, Mr. Speaker, let me say that again, after two years, and a cost of more than $25 million – that’s $50,000 a day of taxpayer money – there was no collusion.”
As he thought back, Marshall said he may have been the first person in the House to label the probe a “witch hunt.”
“Now, I’m not a lawyer, but Kansas common sense would suggest if there were no collusion, no corrupt intent by the president, and no crime committed, there would be absolutely no case for an obstruction of justice charge,” he said. “But I’m sure common sense is the last thing on some members of Congress minds.”
Democrats and the media have had a field day smearing the president, his allies, and his family, Marshall said. “They’ve hired 19 lawyers, 40 FBI agents, and issued nearly 3,000 subpoenas, all which has further confirmed what we already knew before the investigation even started.
“Importantly, we did learn that no one with the Trump campaign conspired or coordinated with the Russian government. In fact, we found out through this investigation that the Russians made many attempts and offers to help the Trump campaign, and time and time again the Trump team rejected them.”
Marshall said he went to the media and Democrats, urging them to cease their attacks. “But instead, what do the biased media and Democrats say in response to Robert Mueller’s verdict? Absolutely nothing. You can almost hear a pin drop at the Capitol today, it’s so quiet here.”
Now, he said, he wants Congress to let this go. “Can we please move on and work with our President rather than against him and focus on policy rather than fantasy?”
That sentiment was echoed by Kansas Senator Jerry Moran.
“Special Counsel Mueller concluded there was no collusion and, along with DOJ, determined no obstruction,” he said on Twitter. “With this investigation behind us, we must work to address the many issues facing our nation with less division and more cooperation for a better nation and more secure world.”
The investigation did determine that there were two main Russian efforts to influence the 2016 election, Barr wrote, noting, “the Special Counsel brought criminal charges against a number of Russian nationals and entities in connection with these activities.”
